Closer Than Ever Before
by Miratete
Summary: G1: Nightbird's capture by the Decepticons stirs up some old memories for Soundwave and Ravage.


**Closer Than Ever Before**

-o-o-o-o-o-

Soundwave stared at the off-lined femme stretched out on the work table. For a human-built construct the design was surprisingly advanced.

"Bombshell will be here tomorrow to install her new programming," Megatron informed. "See what you can do about her power levels. Her batteries are still a weak point." To Soundwave's surprise, the Decepticon commander did not launch into one of his usual lambastes of the 'puny flesh creatures,' but instead ran his hand with some delicacy over the mask that covered the femme's lower face. "A pretty thing, isn't she?" His red optics moved up to look at Soundwave. "A little familiar perhaps?" His lips crooked into a cold smirk. And with that he marched out of the room, the others trailing after him.

Left alone, Soundwave went to the equipment cabinet and retrieved tools to begin work on the stolen femme. But on returning to the table, he found himself simply staring down at the black and grey frame.

Ravage ejected of her own accord, leaping right onto the table, where she peered and sniffed at the frame of the ninja robot. A soft, questioning mewl escaped her vocalizer as she stared into Nightbird's masked face.

Soundwave lay a hand across Ravage's shoulders. "I know." And softly he stroked his hand down the cassette former's back. "I know..."

-o-o-o-o-o-

"I will be leaving on a new assignment in one point four deca-cycles," Soundwave intoned.

"When will you be back?"

"I will not return. Permanent transfer."

Snare, sprawling blissfully across the carrier mech's chest, jerked into a sitting position, the post-interface euphoria having shattered with those last words. "What!? No!"

"Unfortunate."

"Then I'll come with you." She knelt over him, her long, pointed fingers splayed across the window of the carrier dock.

"Impossible. No civilians remain in Galvanic City."

"Then you have to let me enlist. I can be a Decepticon."

Soundwave sighed. How many times had they been through this? Megatron had completely forbidden femmes from the ranks of the faction. "Too distracting. Too soft. Too unpredictable," the dictator had declared.

"I can be one of you. What do I have to do to prove myself?"

Soundwave switched off his optics, not wanting to watch her plead, and sighed again.

Seeing this, Snare sighed herself. "I don't want to leave you," she whimpered, her lithe fingers now tracing the silver trim on the mech's chest. "Take me with you. You won't regret it."

Soundwave's hands reached up to her black frame, covered her shoulders, and pulled her against his chest once more. His field swelled and surrounded her as if to absorb her into himself... into the collective fields of his four other cassettes.

"Soundwave... please," she begged, the words coming out as barely a whisper.

-o-o-o-o-o-

There came a chime from the door, and Frenzy went to answer it.

"Snare," droned Soundwave from across the room, sensing her presence.

The doors slid open and the waiting sight caused the small mech to stumble back. A body lay at ungainly angle just beyond the threshold. Snare leaned casually against the opposite wall.

"Boss... you'd better come here," said the cassette-former, his tone wavering in shock.

Soundwave rose and approached the open door, Frenzy moving away nervously. The carrier had only a nod for a greeting for the lithe form of Snare as he perfunctorily scanned the off-lined frame at his feet. "A little gift for you," she smirked.

Rumble, curious as to what had unnerved his brother, came to Soundwave's side. "Boss... It's an Autobot. Is he? Is he dead?"

"Affirmative."

"I can be one of you," Snare declared assertively to her lover and slipped back into the shadows of the Decepticon base.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Snare stroked Soundwave's helm with a barely-there touch, her EM field massaging the sensitive array of circuits in the carrier mech's head and shoulders. The rest of his frame stretching across the berth, his head lay in her lap. Rumble and Frenzy looked on enviously from the shadows. While Snare liked them well-enough, any intimacy was reserved for Soundwave alone.

"Half a deca-cycle remains. You have to take me with you. Have I not proven myself?"

"Your gifts have been impressive," Soundwave told her. Three Autobots, slain by her own hand, and eleven Autobot spy cameras delivered to his door. "But the decision was made by Megatron. I will not go against it."

"Ask him. Ask him for an exception."

"No."

"You can't leave me behind. I won't let you go without me," Snare cried. "Hide me. Disguise me. Something." Her hands gripped his head in her passion and desperation.

Soundwave sat up on the berth and held her at arm's length, regarding her with a searingly clinical gaze. And then he drew her against his frame. He could feel the synchronicity in their sparks, the two pulsing together, brought into alignment by the afternoon's interfacing.

"Anything. I just want to be with you always," she whimpered, a tear running down her faceplate.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"If this is the only way..."

Soundwave nodded. "We'll be together."

Snare's strong, thin fingers slid over what was to be her new frame, a black cassette emblazoned with a purple Decepticon insignia. The depths she had fallen to for love. "Will you save this frame?" she asked, her hands moving to her own chest.

Soundwave shook his head. "It has been exchanged for the new frame as well as the silence of the other parties involved."

Another mech entered the room, spark transfer gloves in hand. "Ready?" he asked.

Snare looked at the tightly folded cassette again, and then at her beloved. The point of no return. "I'm ready," she said, trying to convince herself that she was making the right decision. At least they'd be together, and closer than ever before.

-o-

-o-o-o-

-o-o-o-o-o-

 **The End**

-o-o-o-o-o-

-o-o-o-

-o-

 _Transformers_ and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of Hasbro and Takara Tomy. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.

-o-o-o-o-o-

 **Author Notes:**

I'm sure someone's probably done a story similar to this before. I know there's a particular demand for Soundwave/ Cassetticon stories out there, whether platonic or romantic. The inspiration just hit me one morning and I quickly lay down a draft for this bittersweet story told in vignettes.

If you're a Soundwave fan, check out my story **Pet Canary**. Megatron's creepy communications officer takes a major role in it.


End file.
